itch.io

The "Sky Theory" level is the one which gave me the best vibes. All in all I really liked the possibility to actually choose among different variations on the same theme (ie. move something around and avoid obstacles). It helped the game remain fresh.

One note: in the "minimal 2D" level I could triple jump - perhaps I read the starting instruction wrong but I had the idea I could only jump twice.

At first I was a bit taken aback by the way physics works in this game: I would strive to pull my paper plane's nose in a specific direction but kept getting the feeling I was not really turning. Once I started getting the hang of it I had a nice time trying to maneuver - it felt engaging but never frustrating.

An old style, relaxing text adventure which brought me back to the times when I would spend my days reading this kind of stuff!

So far I've completed two of the initial fetch quests and I'll say, I'm enjoying your writing style! A couple descriptions (the box you have to bring to Thalia in particular) really triggered that odd mechanism which make me almost "see" what I'm reading about.

Having to complete all of them might become a bit repetitive, still I guess it's OK since this is the very beginning of the adventure (I can think of many games whose initial tasks are rather... dull). I look forward to you adding more variety to the missions our hero has to accomplish in the future.

So yeah... Keep writing ^_^

Well, apart for the fact I suck at this kind of games... dialogues do their jobs and sets a nice atmosphere. I've read the plot's already finalized so I'd really like to know where the heck are you leading me! Keep it up ;D! Not that I expect to make any progress in the foreseeable future: I got stuck at the combination lock, tried putting a random sequence of numbers on my first attempt and... well, perhaps I'm just dumb (which is not at all unlikey, duh) but I could not find a way to delete the characters I put on that first attempt so even if I were to find the right sequence (something which is HIGHLY unlikely... told ya, I'm dumb ahahah!) I could not input it at present =(.

I appreciate the attempt at taking a different approach to battling, that however is the sole negative remark I have to add. The time limit mixed with the need to make sort of a keys combo means near-certain death for someone like me ^_^;.... I need to take my time and think out things, explore the menus and get a hang of the system BEFORE I make a choice. Plus the explanation of the battle system occurred in-game, making me feel I had to quickly get out of it as one of those nasty critters (which turned out to be THREE nasty critters!) was getting ominously close O_O! I'd recommend you automatically put the game in pause when explaining things to the player.

On the graphics side, all I can say is that as one who can barely hold a pencil (or a mouse or whatever drawing tool you may think of) in my hand I can't but appreciate the effort you put in those portraits. It's more than I could ever make, honestly. And I personally like having that kind of touch in this kind of games.

And now for some rather personal (and likely insignificant) note: I personally don't like starting "in medias res" as my ancestors used to say. I'd love to see the game starting off as a single character and then building up my party - which of course can perfectly end up being made up of those three funny guys, still... yeah getting to know them BEFORE the real thing starts would be just lovely - again that's just my own take at this kind of stuff.

Not 100% sure I got what you mean. My guess is, you're referring to the fact the UI in the web version leaps to the eye more than the actual game text... that's likely related to the web version being downsized to better fit the screen. Had planned to mitigate the issue at a later stage (I'm presently focusing on rolling out the full second chapter), since however I could easily get rid of it by tweaking a few things here & there... well, I might give priority to that point. A distracting UI is a bad UI after all.

Other than that: the VHS reference is (sort of) a pun to the fact, if you end up with a bad ending (ie. the MC dies) you *might* get a hint on how to avoid such unfortunate conclusion, and that would come in the form of a VHS recording.  Should you ever get there & should you happen to be a fan of Dick's novels you may also possibly guess a major source of inspiration for the whole project, uh.

Thank your for your comments & suggestions!

Yeah, the stream of consciousness still requires some... streamlining, uh. I guess you played the web version which was not in the scope of the gamejam because of... well, reasons (read - at least partially: lazyness). Something in the lines of what you proposed has been implemented when it comes to the main character going with his own thoughs as other people talks around him. For all the other cases I've been thinking about a bunch of things (such as turning the whole screen to b&w to give a sense of "suspension"... yeah, sort of ^_^;). Might try out them with the next release.

MC gender costomization... well that's a way more delicate matter. And not because of the amount of work it requires, because, due how the plot is going to develop, I might just swap roles between the present main character and his love interest. That, and a bunch of tweaking to the script, would pretty much made it. And, I do understand your point - I have the same issue when it comes to visual novels with a female main character, it's really hard for me to get into the part and I end up giving up - I think I could count the ones I actually read to the end on the fingers of a single hand, and I would not even have use all fingers!

The point here is, I've been writing the story with a certain personal goal and a specific plot in mind... an *extremely* personal goal and a rather personal plot, both of which *might* become a bit clearer by the time the full chapter #2 is released. A female main character would made getting into the story quite difficult *for me*, and ultimately betray the reason why I've started writing it. So... well, I regret to inform you this is a "can't do, sorry =\".

It's a shame this might make my project less appealing to you. Still, just getting your comment already is more than I could ask for, so... yeah, thanks again ^^

The cards mechanics is funny and simple once you get the grasp of it. As I a casual gamer Isurely enjoyed it, feels like something I could waste a few hours a day XD

Cons: window size is quite bit and does not fit my screen (currently on a 1920x1080 setting)

...?

Sadly enough I've been experiencing severe HW issues on my PC. A bunch of BSoD in the last day, all hinting at memory - related issues.

I'm still trying to understand who's the culprit (my RAM banks seem fine, same goes for the SSD... is the mobo falling apart?). In the meantime I'm unable to work on REC/REW project. That's why I'm quitting the ImproveMyGameJam #26 (and believe me my heart bleeds at this). I don't think I'll be able to put anything online by the required deadline.

The good thing is, all data related to the project are stored in a HD I use for archiving purpouses. Apparently no issue so far, so I hope the fruits of my work are safe.

Better that I put as much stuff as I can on GitHub though. Just for my own peace of mind, you know...

Oh well, until next time I guess...

Creepy!

Will be waiting for the next issue =)

Drats! I grab the blue orb-thing, blow up every drone... and still I keep falling down the bottomless pit >_<!!!! *Sigh* I suck at this kind of games ^^;

I really enjoyed the style and the overall atmosphere! It's definitely worth spending some more time on it (prefereably without falling down the a.m. bottomless pit hehehe!)

I'd recommend you add a few words about what the player is required to do and why... giving a context of sorts, if you will. It would really enrich the game - in the eyes of people like me, at least...

Cool game that just made me feel some 30 years younger!

Simple yet captivating story. I mastered basic controls almost immediately and needed just a bit more time to understand how to attack effectively. Overall a pleasant, enjoyable game.

One thing you should do almost immediately is, put both the .exe and the .pck files in a single zip and upload it instead of two separate files.

Other than that... well, I spotted a couple typos here and there, and in my personal taste the idle animations (ie. characters simply breathing) are a bit too fast. Both issues are rather trivial though.

Nice graphics and art style. So far the matches have been relatively easy to win, that might be just me having been lucky when I had to choose which card to add to the deck and the likes, however so far I've not yet felt actually "struggling" to win a match.

Perhaps come kind of "difficulty level" which could add a multiplier to my foes' heatlh and attacks?

The game keeps crashing during the intro sequence (ie. right after I chose my class and decide to venture through the fog) =\. I lost hope on the fourth time I tried to run the game and got the same result. That's quite saddening as I had the chance to have a look at the game's directory and watched that very intro movie, the premise is enticing!

Is there any way to generate some kind of crash report I can forward to you so that you can get an idea of what's happening?

btw the leftmost class to the left is mentioned as "Palladin" with two Ls... is that a typo?

I'd recommend you replace the trees (they presently look like palms) with a vegetation that better fits the harsh environment you're portraying if possible such as pines the like.

Apart for that, it's a nice concept that somehow made me feel I was playing a "Lite" version of the Long Dark, deprived of certain mechanics (food, thirtsy, sleep and natural enemies) and with just the cold to fend off.

Thank you very much for your kind words.

Nothing's better than a nice bost to my morale to start a new year =D!

I used the mouse to navigate the menu (ie. have a look at the available options and then start a new game) but then I had to switch to the keyboard to set the difficulty level and where to start from (the beginning in my case, since that was my first playthrough!). Plus I could not start the game without confirming each option (I was fine with both) by hitting the spacebar. Maybe you could let me use the mouse also there, and let me click on the "Go!" button right away.

... and maybe it's just me being too fussy ^^;

So far I'm enjoying it quite a bit. The story is captivating and the art feels rather fitting the general atmosphere.

- does the main menu require me to hit the keyboard to confirm my choices? I could not start the story unless I hit the spacebar to confirm

- certain parts are... embedded videos (the first example that comes to my mind is when you're told what "Lyssa remnants" are)? They're a bit too slow for my taste. I understand people might not read as fast as me, still would you consider some kind of option to "fast forward" and/or skip (the latter being a rather "not recommended" last resort)?

The game's got a nice atmosphere, with the shabby apartment full of garbage and all that stuff.

There must be something I'm missing because once I receive the "anonymous" email I just happen to end up staring at a black screen as and nothing happens. I was readying myself for something spooky but... well, either I lack patience or it's just a MacGuffin of sorts.

To think that I don't even smoke XD!

Plenty of time before submissions close so no big deal!

I'll see where I get with the script by the time the deadline hits! Hopefully by that time I'll have convinced myself I can take on the challenge XD!

Been experimenting a bit. I might be barely unable to hold a pencil in my hands, however there's plenty of tools that can help me overcome such limitation. Today's release includes my "feasibility study" as an appetizer of what's coming next. 

REC/REW

The outcome of my thinkering is in the line of the following example:

Being reasonably happy with the result, I've decided these holydays will be dedicated to find other scenes and dialogues worth such upgrade.

It's very likely that by then proper optimization of the web version of the game will be required.

Then I will put the project back on its original track, and reprise my work on the second chapter.

Btw the updated release also include a minor content add-on. I really enjoyed writing those lines and putting them in good working conditions. They made me remember the old times where I role-played with my friends.

I should never have hung up my dice... *sigh*...

A new version of my Visual Novel has been released.

This time it's not about new content... so yeah, REC/REW is still a 3-5 hours endeavour if you care about reading every tiny little bit of my story. The good news is, it now has an interface worth being called that way. Much more "ordinary", still as I said in the silly video presenting the new GUI there's ought to be a reason why so many people use such "ordinary" layout.

And no, Bianca, it's not because they don't care for gui.rpy...

Enough with the small talk. There's a lot of stuff to do! Apart for finalizing chapter 2 of my VN (which is going to require a lot of time and it'll likely consume a good third of my brain) I've got to:

(a) optimize graphics for the web version (urgent)

(b) add a few anecdotes to better flesh out characters. I'm even starting to think about further bending Koikatsu to the "all ages" use I'm currently making of it and make a few CGs. Might be fun, I'll give it a try, huh

(c) proof reading, re-reading, grammar and spelling check. That's not going to end, you know?

(d) lots of other neat little things I'm currently forgetting. They'll come back eventually. Likely a couple minutes after my next release.

Bloody typical, isn't it?

Jokes aside... come on, let's roll up our sleeves and get back to... bed.

Nah, today's trouble is enough for today. I'll leave it that for tomorrow =P!

Well, I got the feeling something eerie and basically wrong was going to happen since the very beginning.

Your game's quite atmospheric, I liked it. If you ever decide to develop it further I'd say you should make the search for clues about what actually happened a bit longer... like the backpack with Madison's name on the tag (I didn't realize it was mine until the very end, uh!)

Well, hello...

Just a few question about this neat jam:

1) do you also accept W.I.P., or are you only considering, uh, "finalized" works? I'm currently working on a visual novel and judging from the amount of material I've presently written (quite a lot...) and the available workforce (consisting of me and nobody else) I expect this personal endeavour of mine to keep me company until the first half of 2024 (and that's some wishful thinking, to say the least...)

2) all in all, my story is going to have a few elements which *I think* could be appropriate for this jam. It basically revolves around a man who, in the wake of a very painful experience, creates his own personal dystopian reality as a mean to escape the pain as his daughters try to bring him back... the problem is, what I released so far could *at best* be hinting at such "main plot" - I'm going to start dealing with such topics on the next chapter of my novel, but that's not going to see the light (itch-wise) until next spring!

Concluding: do you feel my game could have a place in this jam? Otherwise I'm more than willing to wait for next year's PKD-related jam, of course!!

The game is funny, the graphics are nice and fit the general mood of the game.

Apart for a couple cases where my suspect basically confessed the crime I had a really hard time at deciding whether thye guy in front of me was guilty or not. I'm glad I'm not a lawyer!

You should replace the talking with something less "human", like a generic mumbling without proper words.

The story looks promising however I found typos in the English version, as well as parts which were not translated at all or were translated in a way that felt a bit odd to me (in the sense of arranging the various parts of a sentence in a way that felt a bit unnatural to me).

They did not prevent me from understanding what's going on of course however I'd recommend you double-check the translation in the future, this way as to give your work a more "polished" an ultimately much more enjoyable feel.

Done! Hope you're getting a JaN somewhere in your ranking!

Btw the score might drop a bit as my older son watched me playing and now he wants to try it out XD!

Looks like your our game is getting quite hyped here at my home, uh!

Thank you very much for your feedback (and the subsequent boost to my morale!).

Yeah, being a visual novel I fear that as I release other parts of the story the overall "verbosity" will grow rather than decrease ^^;!

And as you might have seen my drawing capacities are limited, so... well, my present focus is more on the "novel" part rather than the "visual" one!

Pretty addictive game, I must be careful never to open it when I'm at work XD!

I tend to let the red path raildroad me a bit too much, and I end up never exploring the area. As a result, the opponents quickly grow faster than me and I'm ultimately outmatched. I get the feel I have to get a lot of those "permanent speed" upgrades in the early levels when we're still evenly matched! 

The ASCII version reminded me of the games I used to play on my dad's ZX spectrum back when I was a young lad ^^!

On a side note: the, uh, "non-ASCII" version got stuck a couple times on the "connecting to database" message.

Web

I got an odd glitch a couple times: the blue moves, then before I can do anything they move AGAIN and I'm out. It happened on the very first puzzle, dunno if that can help... I'm unable to reproduce this odd behaviour in a consistent manner so I can't tell what's actually going on (even tried keeping my hands up to avoid accidentally hitting a key ^^;!).

This game a lovely old-times feel. Now if only I didn't suck at chess the way I do...

Edit: the glitch occurred in the fourth puzzle only

"You are an old dude like me who played battlechess as a child?"

Yeah, totally.

And thanks for making me feel I do not TOTALLY suck at chess!

No problem! Just a very quick search on reddit gave me the tools to start working on it!

BTW thanks again for the idea, it's like... well, that's not correct, it's the FIRST suggestion I get since I released my game! Looking into that is sort of compulsory ^^!

Reminds me of those books I read back when I was a young lad!

And you made me want to find those books and read them to my kids! Honestly that's the best compliment I could think of ^^!

Will look into that! I know there are ways to make Ren'Py games work that way

Really enjoyed the game! Different cards = different ways to tackle my opponent (and an all-out attack seldom proves to be the best tactic, much to my pleasure!).

I also love the minimalistic style of the game and its interface! Just the game itself, and nothing else.

I'm glad (and... yeah, I'm also quite proud!) to announce I've just released the complete first chapter of my Visual Novel (currently a W.I.P.).

Project page is here (exactly were it was on the last time I posted here!).

This release consists of a 45k words story (should take no more than roughly 3-5 hours of your time ^^), three possible endings and the full cast of characters that will accompany the player along the entire project.

On a side note, a few days ago I also crafted a (rather silly and perhaps a bit too long) teaser trailer. Its scope was (and still is, ofc), giving a bit of a summary on the setting of my Visual Novel. I already put a link to it on the project page but... yeah, I'll add it to this post for completeness' sake. May help you getting an idea of what this stuff is all about...